Automatic multiphoto apparatus



Feb. 1, 1938. E RMER 2,106,814

l AUTOMATIC MULTIPHOTO APPARATUS Filed Jan. 15, 1937v INVENTOR,

her ATTORNEYn Patented Feb. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for taking photographs and has for its main object to provide means whereby such an apparatus will be adapted to take a great number of photographs in various series, side by side and one above the other relations, of a person, object, or picture, placed before the lens of the apparatus, in an automatic manner, on one single plate or lm, and in an extremely short time.

Other objects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds.

In the drawing accompanying this specification and forming a part thereof:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical front elevation of my device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows a detail, the section being taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 and portions of the device having been removed, while Fig. 4 is another detail on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1 and on a somewhat larger scale.

Referring now to the drawing more closely by characters of reference, the numeral II) indicates a lens for taking photographs which is secured into a vertically arranged board II, said board having suitably sized and preferably square or rectangular opening I2, to the rear and adjacent of the lens I 0. Two vertical guide rods I3 are secured on the front of the board II, and a large rectangular frame I4 is slidably arranged on said guide rods. A second smaller rectangular frame I5 is arranged within the outer frame I4, being shown in Fig. 1 at the right side thereof, and a photographic film or plate I6 may be secured into the inner frame I5.

The longitudinal or horizontal inner edges of the outer frame I4 are formed with the staggered contoured guides or cams II, and on the four corners of the inner frame I5 are secured rollers I9 by which said inner frame may ride along and on said staggered guides or cams I1 Within the outer frame I4, as indicated by the arrows A.

To about the center of the lower marginal edge of the outer frame I4 is hingedly secured a lifting rod 26, the lower end thereof being also hingedly secured on an appropriate pin 24 of an endless D link chain 20 adapted to run around the chain drums or wheels 2I and 22, as shown. Said endless link chain is provided with the pins 23 connecting the two systems of links thereof, and two diagrammatically opposite such pins, being indicated by the numeral 24 and 25, are lengthened for the purposes herein described or to be described.

The pin 24 is extended both to the left hand and to the right hand of the link chain, as viewed in Fig. 2 and to the left end thereof is secured the lower end of the lifting pivoted rod 26. The right hand extensions of the pins 24 and 25 are provided for moving the inner frame I5 in a horizontal direction within the outer frame I4, as will be explained presently.

Preferably an electric motor (not shown) is provided to drive the mechanism, the shaft of said motor being indicated at 32, and said motor driving a disk or wheel 30, through the belt or other appropriate means 3|, in the direction indicated by the arrow on said disk 3|). A push rod 21 is pivotally secured on the disk 30, as at 28, the upper end of said push rod being formed with a concave portion whereby it may engage one of the pins 23 of the endless chain 2U, and it will be seen that every revolution of the disk 30 will push the chain upward with one link and will push or elevate the outer frame I4 to a similar distance, while the pin 24 is going in an upward direction, and will lower the said frame I4 to a similar extent, when the pin 24 is travelling in the reverse branch, downwardly.

To keep the endless chain 20 from moving while the exposure or photograph is being taken a locking rod 33 is also provided, pivoted as at 21, normally being drawn in an upward direction by the spring 35 and having a concave portion 36 at its outer end by which it may engage a pin 23 and so lock the chain 20.

For the horizontal movement of the inner frame I5, a pivoted comparatively long vertical rod 42 is provided, hinged on the upper side or member of the outer frame I4, as at 4I. A pivoted dog or finger 44 is carried by said pendulum rod 42, normally being drawn in an upward direction by the spring 43 and engaging the teeth I8 on the lower marginal edge of the inner frame I5, as will be understood.

Further downward the pendulum rod 42 passes through a collar or ring 4B, (Figs. 1 and 4) which carries the bent rod 48 having an outer operative end 41 and normally resting against a stop 49. A fork 50 is secured in a pivoted manner on the ring 46, as shown in Fig. 4, and it is ycontinued in a rod 53, slidable in the guide 5I, and being held in its normal position by the spring 52.

The disk 30 also carries the pin or projection 40 adapted to engage the outer end of the arm or lever 39, pivoted as at 38 and being connected,

by pivoted rod 3l, to the locking rod 33 for the endless chain 2U.

The use and operation of my device is as follows:

My device is adapted for taking photographs, and the person, object, or a print and the like, which it is desired to photograph in a great number of exposures, automatically and in short, quick, successive pictures, will be placed behind the lens Iii, and the illumination and other necessary arrangements adjusted. The outer frame I4 will preferably be pushed into a desired lowermost position and the inner frame I5 will be pushed to its extreme right hand position therein, as shown in Fig. l.

Let us suppose that in such a position the opening I2, will throw a picture covering a portion at the upper left hand .corner of the film I 6, as indicated by Roman numeral I. The motor will be started and the pin or projection 4U will push the rod 39 downwardly, which again, through the link rod 3l, will pull the lock rod or lever 33 in a downward direction, against the spring 35, and thereby release the link chain 20. Upon the further rotation of the disk 30, the endless chain will be moved with one link in an upward direction, and the rod 26 will move the frame I4, and the frame I5 therein, upwardly to a similar distance, whereupon a second exposure will be thrown on the portion of the lm I6 indicated by Roman numeral II.

During this exposure the frames and the nlm will be in a resting position, secured by the lock rod 33 which will be released from the infiuence of the pin or projection 4I] and its associated parts, and will be moved into the locking position shown in Fig. 1 by the spring 35.

This play will be repeated at every turn of the disk 23 until one vertical column of the nlm I6 will be filled, as indicated by the further Roman numerals III, IV, and V, it being supposed in this case that five successive exposures are to be taken in one vertical column of the iilm I6 and that the relative proportions of the film, the frames, the opening I2 and the endless chain 20 are designed for this condition.

These proportions are such that when the last exposure V has been taken, the right hand elongated part of the pin 25 will reach the operative end LII of the bent rod 48, will strike the same and thereby will rock the pendulum rod 42 in a left hand direction, against the spring 52, as will be understood by those versed in this art, and through the dog or iinger 44, engaging the respective tooth I8 on the lower marginal edge of the inner frame I5, will move said frame in a left hand direction. By this movement a second adjacent column of the nlm I6 will be brought to the front of the opening I2 and as the motor will move the disk 30 and the endless chain 20, the play described hereinbefore will be repeated but in an opposite direction, the movement of the endless chain gradually lowering the frames and the film I6, and the successive exposures Roman numerals VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X, will be taken.

When the second column is thus lled with the number of exposures dened by the factors in the machine, the second elongated pin will reach the operative end 4l of the bent rod 48 and, in a similar manner as described hereinbefore, will rock the pendulum rod 42 and will further move the inner frame I5 in a left hand direction and will start the third column of exposures, as indicated at XI and XII.

In this manner the whole expanse of the lm I6 will be covered by small square exposures of the same object, person or a print placed to the rear of the lens IU, as indicated by the Roman numerals in Fig. l

The guide cams I 7 in the outer frame I4 are shaped in such a manner that the individual pictures in the successive columns are gradually higher up to the middle of the iilm and after that they are gradually lowering. In this manner, the individual exposures are arranged in a staggered irregular but artistic way which greatly aids the eect of the pictures and particularly the enlargement taken from the lm I6, while of course it is to be understood that the individual pictures in the copies of the group of the lm I6 may be separated and individually used.

It also will be understood by those versed in this art that by changing the guide surfaces or cams Il, the elements and dimensions of the chain, and the teeth or steps I8 at the bottom of the inner frame I5, a great variety of sizes, shapes and arrangements of individual pictures, Roman numerals I, II, III, etc. may be taken with my device, and it also will be understood that the sizes and arrangements of the frames I4 and I5 may be varied as well as the opening I2. So, for instance, when a group picture is to be taken the opening I2 will preferably be made horizontally elongated, that is rectangular instead of the square shown in the ngures, and for such purposes preferably several guide cams I1 may be provided in every machine with means to easily exchange one with another, and the opening I2 will also be provided with efficient means to change its size, the details of such changes not being shown, and being understood by those versed in this art.

The persons or objects placed facing the lens I0 may act, make movements, or may be moved, or turned, respectively, and in this manner a great number of pictures of them may be taken in various positions, to show them from various angles and in various positions and also to make the photographs of persons more natural.

I also want it to be understood that while I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, changes and variations may be resorted to in the elements, parts, construction, details and combinations thereof, and I desire to reserve my rights to all such changes and variations which are within the spirit of this specication and the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new, is:

l. In an automatic multiple photograph apparatus, means to support a light sensitive plate medium, a lens adapted to throw the picture on a predetermined portion of said medium, means to successively move said medium in a right and left hand and in up and down directions so as to cover the maj-or portion of said medium with a multiple of pictures, in a multiple of series both in right and left hand and in up and down directions; a movable frame carrying said medium; said means including a second frame movable in one direction, said plate carrying frame being movable Within said second frame in a transverse direction to the movement of said second frame; a source of power, said means being operated by said source of power in an automatic manner; said means also including an endless chain driven by said source of power, a member to intermittently stop the movement of said chain, a second member to connect said chain to saidsecond frame to intermittently and gradu- 75,

ally move the same in one direction upon the intermittent movement of the chain, and an element intermittently operated by said chain and adapted to intermittently move said first plate carrying frame in a transverse direction.

2. In an automatic multiple photograph ap paratus, means to support a light sensitive plate medium, a lens adapted to throw the picture on a predetermined portion of said medium, means to successively move said medium in a right and left hand and in up and down directions so as to cover the major portion of said medium with a multiple of pictures, in a multiple of series both in right and left hand and in up and down directions; a movable frame carrying said medium.; said means including a second frame movable in one direction, said plate carrying frame being movable within said second frame in a transverse direction to the movement of said second frame; and a predetermined cam guide in said second frame for said first frame whereby the successive positions of said rst frame will be staggered according to a predetermined plan transversely to the direction 10 of movement of said plate carrying frame.

ELIZABETH RMER. 

